


Instant Coffee & Energy Drinks

by AppleFlavoredKitkats



Series: Tentacles & Spectacles (Intrulogical & Familial Dark Sides) [3]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: (Orange has 10 eyes), (Orange is Beliefs/Impulsivity), Arguing, Buzzfeed Unsolved References, Coffee, Enemies to Friends, Gen, Late Night Conversations, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Morally Ambiguous Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Morally Ambiguous Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Morally Ambiguous Morality | Patton Sanders, Original Character(s), Sympathetic Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Sympathetic Dark Sides (Sanders Sides), Sympathetic Deceit | Janus Sanders, glitching, slight body horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:15:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24864415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AppleFlavoredKitkats/pseuds/AppleFlavoredKitkats
Summary: Logan thoughtlessly entered the door with ease, fiddling with a loose NASA sticker on his laptop as he went inside the "Dark" Sides' living room, but he immediately stopped walking once he heard the television on their living room’s wall emit sound.“Oh. Blue.” The side sitting on the couch while concealed in two blankets spoke.“Orange.”Logan replied sternly, remaining still as if Orange was a tiger ready to pounce on his prey.“So this is why Remus said that the living room was off-limits late at night.” Orange deadpanned, all ten of his eyes holding an unimpressed glare. “I thought he created some ugly monster that wandered around our living room that he didn’t want us to see, but it turns out, it’s just you. Not too far off, if I should say so myself.” Orange said grimly, averting his gaze back at what he was watching on the TV.or,Logan encounters Orange in the "Dark" Sides' living room late at night and is tempted to watch Buzzfeed Unsolved with him. Problem is: they hate each other... or do they?
Relationships: Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders (Referenced), Logic | Logan Sanders & Original Side(s), Logic | Logan Sanders &; Orange Side
Series: Tentacles & Spectacles (Intrulogical & Familial Dark Sides) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1785889
Comments: 38
Kudos: 196





	Instant Coffee & Energy Drinks

**Author's Note:**

> ah, some more lore to add onto this weirdass, canon-divergent, self-indulgent universe i've created. 
> 
> i've wanted to write more about the dark sides, specifically orange and janus, just because i love the familial dynamic i've made for them in my head. this fanfic is the first of three that'll explore more about their dynamics, and while i do not know when the second or third fic will come out, i hope i'd be able to make them soon. (more info in the ending notes).
> 
> before you dive into this horrid fic, i do need to explain orange for a bit. in my opinion, orange could honestly be many things, but my suspicions are he represents thomas's unconscious thinking/impulsivity/beliefs/motivation/prejudice. if this turns out to be wrong or if you disagree with me, then go suck a dick or something, but that's just what i interpret him to be. 
> 
> also one more note: this can be read on its own but some parts reference the second fic in this series called "enough". please read them if ya want to!
> 
> as always, big thanks to the logang discord for the support, especially ellie, aj, and kei for beta reading.
> 
> **warnings: morally ambiguous light sides (i think the better term would be critical?), swearing (orange loves to swear), glitching, slight arguing (they make up), and very slight body horror because orange has ten eyes. it isn't too scary, i promise.**
> 
> same as last time: follow me on [@ameliessanderssidesblog](https://ameliessanderssidesblog.tumblr.com/) for sanders sides content and [@appleflavoredkitkats](https://appleflavoredkitkats.tumblr.com/) for my musical blog!

Originally, Logan viewed the darker side of the Mindscape as a place where he and Remus could spend time together peacefully without worrying about the glitches that invaded Logan’s room or the presence of another “Light” Side witnessing their displays of affection.

Presently, Logan viewed the dark side of the Mindscape as his home.

The acceptance of his presence was gradual, to say the least. Initially, Janus and Orange did not think much of Logan and Remus’s newfound friendship—mostly indifferent but not opposed to them at all. Obviously, Orange and Janus were still their predictable, cynical selves, but when were they never? While their exchanges with Logan weren’t the greatest, as the years passed by, Logan realized their friendships only needed time to develop more.

Janus was someone who Logan could not fully comprehend at all times. Janus often switched from disputing lies to being sarcastic to being genuinely truthful that it instilled some confusion within Logan. Moreover, he learned that Remus wasn’t the only dark-humored side in this Mindscape—Janus was just as ill-natured as him. Logan wasn’t immensely bothered by it—he  _ was _ in a close relationship with Remus after all—but rather, he was quite amused. Sometimes he would feel insulted, but later on, he understood that it was never Janus’s intention to hurt him. Overall, his relationship with Janus has progressed significantly, and while he can’t say it was perfect, Remus convinced him that if it was good enough for him, then that’s all that mattered.

Orange, on the other hand, perplexed Logan. He continued to be unexplainably brash and aggressive, unhesitantly rude at Logan whenever he passed by him in the living room. While Janus only provided Orange with irritated glares as Remus reluctantly scolded his apathetic behavior, Orange merely shrugged it off. While Logan had the urge to retort at times, he knew it was better to leave him alone rather than aggravate him further. Orange was nonsensical in the worst possible way, and as each other’s foils, it was to be expected that they wouldn’t have gotten along much.

But Orange was the only aspect of his visits that he would’ve dubbed as negative. It didn’t lessen the fact that he still enjoyed his constant stays and sleepovers. With how his relationship with the “Light” Sides deteriorated drastically over the past several years and how the glitches in his room were as bothersome as ever, Logan felt even more compelled to visit the darker side of the Mindscape. It felt like an obligation, an absolute necessity at this point, and while he didn’t understand why he felt so urged, he didn’t find a reason for him to question it. 

(Actually, it was a slight lie that Logan didn’t understand why he felt urged. He  _ might’ve _ known that this could’ve been connected to this unfamiliar, unsettling sensation that has recently festered within him for the past days. He  _ might’ve  _ had a suspicion that this newfound sensation was signalling his eventual transition to the “Dark” Side, but Logan pretended that he didn’t know. The idea itself was making him and Remus incredibly anxious, so he liked to push away the thought. He acknowledged that he could not suppress the thought for too long, but with how distressing the idea was, Logan would’ve preferred to distract himself from that thought for now.)

On this night in particular, Logan was unable to sleep due to how unbelievably erratic his room’s glitches were. At some point, Logan understood that the glitches were controllable, yet he hasn’t mastered how to manipulate the polygons’ intensity. Sometimes, his efforts were successful, enabling him to make the glitches become less seizure-inducing, but on unfortunate nights like these, the glitches only spasmed twice as much.

This prompted Logan to sluggishly get out of bed, grab his laptop and glasses, and head out of his room. He was grateful that he at least had full control over the glitches infecting his body after much hard work and practice. While he was incessantly disregarded by Thomas, his role as Logic still persisted, and productivity was always a must for him. That’s probably why he practiced manipulating the glitches on his body in the first place.

Regardless, Logan made his way to the “Dark” Sides, trying his best not to produce any noise as he walked through the Mindscape’s hallways— God-forbid he awoke any “Light” Side up when he  _ wholeheartedly  _ did  _ not _ want to confront them at  _ all _ . Then again, Logan suspected that they all had an idea about his whereabouts by this point, but he still loathed the idea of getting into another damn argument with them. All his calculations point to a high chance of them berating him excessively, hollering manipulative threats at him, coaxing him with their empty promises—in summary, there were  _ lots _ of negative possibilities Logan would rather avoid.

Eventually, after much cautious tiptoeing, he arrived at the “Dark” Sides’ part of the Mindscape. Their door was at the bottom of a staircase that was hidden at the corner of their hallways, intentionally placed there by the obvious. Before Logan constantly visited the place, the staircase was coated with dust and spiderwebs due to how unused it was. Despite the unkemptness, the “Dark” Sides always remained fashionably classy, as expected. The staircase was covered with a red carpet with golden linings with intricate swirls and scrolls decorating the edges. Moreover, while their door was merely made out of cherry wood with no other colors painted on it, there were intriguing floral carvings on both the center and the edges of the door. While it was quite simple, the minimalist design made the door look ravishingly exquisite.

Logan almost laughed at the thought of their flamboyancy—sure, the sides were cynical, but at least they were doing it in  _ style _ .

By this hour, Logan expected all of the “Dark” Sides to be preoccupied in their rooms. Sometimes they were asleep, sometimes they were up doing God-knows-what, but they usually spent the night having some “alone time”. 

Knowing this, Logan thoughtlessly entered the door with ease, fiddling with a loose NASA sticker on his laptop as he went inside, but he immediately stopped walking once he heard the television on their living room’s wall emit sound. 

“Oh. Blue.” The side sitting on the couch while concealed in two blankets spoke.

“ _ Orange _ .” Logan replied sternly, remaining still as if Orange was a tiger ready to pounce on his prey.

“So this is why Remus said that the living room was off-limits late at night.” Orange deadpanned, all ten of his eyes holding an unimpressed glare. “I thought he created some ugly monster that wandered around our living room that he didn’t want us to see, but it turns out, it’s just you. Not too far off, if I should say so myself.” Orange said grimly, averting his gaze back at what he was watching on the TV. 

Logan opened his mouth, urging to retort, but instead, he shook his head and decided against it. Thankfully, Orange didn’t catch him doing so, otherwise he would’ve come back with an insult twice as hard as the one he just stated. 

Logan had two clear options here: 1.) Retreat and return to the “Light” Sides’ area and risk getting made fun of by the others when they see his pathetic frame lying on the couch; or 2.) Ignore the presence of Orange begrudgingly, conjure up some headphones, and do his work silently in their kitchen. There were also less brilliant ideas he didn’t want to consider like bothering Janus and Remus when he really didn’t want to be an annoyance to them, and another was telling Orange to leave which is not only very unbecoming of him, but also is something that wouldn’t even work at all. More than anything, he expected Orange to nonchalantly throw the TV’s remote at him violently if he did that, so he crossed out that option. 

Option one was something completely unideal, especially when the “Light” Sides’ living room provided him with so much discomfort. Additionally, he didn’t want to encounter any of the other “Light” Sides at all, partially because he had literally forgotten how to converse with any of them normally without pretending he was something he was not, and partially because he didn’t think he could handle witnessing any disappointed glares coming from from them. 

Option two was not as great either, but it was probably the more bearable choice. While Orange was undeniably frustrating, as long as he conjured up some headphones and blocked out any of the noise, Orange wouldn’t be much of an issue. His jeers did not hurt as much as the pretentiousness the “Light” Sides wielded whenever they interacted with Logan anyway.

Logan took a sharp, silent inhale—Option two it was. 

There was a regular, simple routine Logan practiced on nights like these, and Orange’s presence made no difference in the process besides the addition of headphones. Logan approached the kitchen casually, placing his laptop on the table, turning it on immediately. As he waited for his laptop to set up the typical programs he needed to get to work, Logan borrowed Janus’s coffee machine and one of Remus’s mugs to provide himself enough coffee to keep him awake through the night. His past self would be dismayed by his horrendous sleeping schedule, but being exposed to Remus meant he had become less uptight as time passed by. Once the coffee began to brew, he’d grab a stool for himself and started working.

Logan was never flooded with work to do nowadays, usually assigned to organizing memories and distributing the thoughts Thomas had to other sides, but that can only be accomplished if he remained in his room. Without his room, he only had Thomas’s life plans and schedules to formulate, and while he was fully aware that Thomas was a spontaneous person more than anything else (thanks for that, Orange), Logan still believed there needs to be at least some order to uphold. Because of Thomas’s disregard for plans and Logan’s desperation for Thomas to at least follow  _ one _ plan, this resulted in Logan making not one, not two, not ten, not fifteen, but twenty plans, hoping at least one of them piqued Thomas’s interest.

Schedule-making was enough work to distract him for the night, and usually, he would’ve been finished by the time Remus and Janus would’ve awoken. He just hoped that his lofi music was enough to block out the noise coming from the living room and ignore the tenseness that had accumulated due to Orange and Logan having to share the same room together. 

Luckily, Logan was very competent, not usually distracted by anything as long as he had something productive to do. He felt like his body went on autopilot whenever he worked, his mind unwaveringly focused on whatever needed to be completed. His music and his incredibly bitter beverage should’ve been enough to make his productivity undeterrable.

After what seemed to be like half an hour, Logan had completed two possible schedules to use. They weren’t too difficult to make since the “Light” Sides’ idiocy was shamefully predictable, but knowing how they liked to fuck with Logan anyway, he didn’t feel safe with merely two outputs. His night seemed to progress smoother than ever, Logan feeling unexpectedly at ease despite the circumstances.

Before Logan could begin with the next possible schedule, he stretched his limbs wearily, cracking his knuckles to relieve the pain that started accumulating on his wrists and lower back. Logan knew he should’ve convinced Janus and Remus to replace these backache-inducing seats with something more manageable, but upon hearing his request, Janus immediately declined, saying the design of their entire kitchen would be too off without the stools. 

Regardless, Logan took this moment to glance away from his laptop screen to make sure he wouldn’t end up cross-eyed by the end of the night. He observed his surroundings as he looked away. The kitchen was predictably chic and spotless save for the overly decorated fridge and scratched cabinets—Logan and Remus’s plate throwing from a few weeks back had dealt some minor scratches on the cherry wood kitchen cabinets and it was an understatement to say that Janus was  _ pissed _ upon seeing the damage.

The fridge, on the other hand, was decorated with pictures Logan had already seen before. There were many moments wherein Logan inquired Remus about certain parts of the fridge, since most of the papers that were stuck onto it seemed to tell some kind of story. Logan’s inquiries eventually became a game between him and Remus wherein if Logan was able to make Remus laugh in some peculiar way, then Remus would have answered one question Logan had about the pictures. While it was quite a hassle at first, Logan eventually succumbed to how undeniably fun it was, and eventually, Logan learned a  _ lot _ about the “Dark” Sides’ familial chemistry.

Some attachments buried within the heaps of papers were old drawings that came from Virgil, or pictures they had that included him (they were at the bottom of all the papers for a reason), and some of the more recent drawings came from Remus. While some were incredibly gory, there were some Logan would’ve considered to be lovely. There was a drawing of Janus and Orange falling asleep on the couch together with the word “Loser” written on it, and there was even a drawing of Janus’s pet snakes that was downright adorable. 

Besides the drawings, there were also many,  _ many _ polaroid pictures and sticky notes. While some pictures were candid photos from Remus, some were undeniably sweet. Logan would’ve even considered that the “Dark” Sides’ bond was even stronger and more genuine than what Logan has seen with the “Light” Sides. 

The sticky notes were what caught his eye the most though. While the pictures and drawings don’t get maneuvered often, the sticky notes are replaced almost daily. There were three pads of sticky notes attached onto the fridge: one yellow, one green, and one orange. A pen was also magnetically stuck onto the fridge for convenience. Some of the sticky notes that are on the fridge are simple reminders: “Remus don’t eat the trash”, “Janus please feed Cthulhu”, or “Don’t let Thomas’s beliefs overwhelm you, Orange”. Some of them were comedic jokes: “I’m SO HOT —Remus”, “Yea but Jesus is hotter”, and “Would you two shut the fuck up for five seconds”. 

And the ones that intrigued Logan the most were the more apologetic and emotional messages: “I won’t ever leave you two alone. I promise”, “I’m sorry for being mad at you, Remus. Please talk to me if you can”, or “I could never be mad at any of you all”. The first one seemed to have been placed a year ago, possibly after Lee and Mary Lee’s wedding, the second was undoubtedly a note from Orange that seemed to have been written recently, and the third was from Remus in reply to Orange. Logan assumed they were addressing what happened a few weeks ago prior to Logan and Remus’s infamous plate throwing.

_ Huh, so they did work things out in the end,  _ Logan thought, averting his gaze from the fridge to glance at Orange. Orange still seemed unbothered by Logan, deeply engrossed in whatever he was watching. Come to think of it, Logan didn’t even check what he was watching in the first place, so while lowering his headphones, he risked checking at what was being displayed on the living room’s flat screen TV.

“ _ He probably fucks the dolls—can I say that?” _

_ “Wha—who—I thought you would have like, some respect for this place, but--” _

_ “Nope. Went in straight with ‘He fucks the dolls’.” _

Logan blinked once, then twice. Orange was watching Buzzfeed Unsolved. Logan let out a soft, amused chuckle as he watched the people on the screen clumsily traverse a haunted island adorned with an array of differently-styled, creepy dolls. 

Logan was not one who usually watched any entertainment-focused YouTube channels; he thought most were terribly ludicrous and unimpressive. He was the stereotypical introverted nerd who’d rather watch Crash Course for the nth time or make a playlist full of his favorite sophisticated Ted-Ed videos. And then, a few years ago, a few days after Virgil was accepted into their family, he introduced Logan to the Buzzfeed Unsolved series. Logan was absolutely  _ hooked _ .

While he used to binge the show with Virgil back in the day, he rarely got to watch it nowadays. He acknowledged that he could still watch the newer episodes by himself, but it felt slightly awkward and less exhilarating to watch it with no companion to accompany him, so he avoided it altogether. There was a time he tried recommending the show to Remus, but Remus informed him that he leaned more towards cosmic horror-centric, gory films, which is why the show never appealed to him at all. Logan couldn’t have blamed him though—the movies he ended up watching with Remus were still quite enlightening. (Hereditary, Gerald’s Game, Midsommar, and Cube, just to name a few.)

Seeing the show again made Logan smile in fondness, making him reminisce the good old days when he deemed Virgil as a trustworthy friend. 

Then immediately, Logan snapped out of his trancelike state, refocusing his attention on his work. Knowing Orange's short tempeedness, Logan really shouldn’t be gazing at his direction at all costs. Moreover, there were still some more schedules to organize and proofread, so he really couldn’t afford to be distracted. 

Sighing, he began creating a new spreadsheet.

While Logan tried his best to concentrate on the task at hand, his eyes seemed to involuntarily gaze back at the television screen. It didn’t take long for his fingers to begin to slip clumsily as he typed, making the words he imputed look like utter gibberish. He clicked his tongue agitatedly, mildly disappointed at his unintentional sloppiness as he furiously typed to correct his mistakes.

He really tried, he really _ , really _ tried to complete the spreadsheets, but even if he was increasing the volume of his lofi music to an absurdly unhealthy amount, his mind kept drifting back at the show being watched. So much for being usually undistracted. 

After five minutes, the schedule was coated with too many errors that he decided to scrap it and redo everything.

After ten, his mind didn’t seem to generate any useful ideas to replace the previous drafts.

After fifteen, he exasperatedly pushed his laptop away for a few seconds, frustrated at his inability to focus.

After twenty, he tried working again. He seemed to regain momentum once again.

After thirty, his newfound focus was deterred once more when he caught a glimpse of the next episode Orange chose to watch. It was Buzzfeed Unsolved True Crime.

Now his concentration was  _ really _ thrown off. 

As a shameless fan of Sherlock and murder investigations in general, it would be obvious that he preferred the series revolving around true crime over the supernatural. So now, Logan was pretty much conflicted, unsure of whether to continue organizing schedules or to merely give up and watch the show from afar. 

Logan sighed, turning off his laptop’s power.  _ Fuck it, _ he thought,  _ I could just do it tomorrow. _

After forty minutes, Logan’s focus was entirely on the show, eyes shifting from Orange to the TV just to make sure Orange doesn’t catch him.

After fifty, he realized he was downing on his coffee unconsciously, noticing his pitcher was already half empty.

After fifty-five minutes, Logan was beginning to watch comfortably as it seemed that Orange did not notice him at all.

After an hour, Logan thought everything was going to go smoothly as he watched quietly, but Orange unpredictably spoke up.

“You get a better view of the TV if you sit on the couch, y’know.” Orange said, almost making Logan jolt. Instead, Logan gazed at Orange in perplexion, cocking an eyebrow at him.

“I— _ what _ ?” Logan murmured, unsure if Orange was actually being nice or Logan was hallucinating the scenario. He heard a weary sigh coming from Orange as he paused the video, whipping his head around to look at Logan with an unimpressed glare from all ten of his eyes. Logan almost grimaced at how unsettling Orange was from afar but managed to suppress his slight fear before he could’ve potentially provoked Orange.

“I said, you can sit on the couch with me, moron,” Orange chided.

“You’re being  _ hospitable _ ?” Logan replied in disbelief, earning an irritated huff from Orange as he turned away.

“God, you’re a prick,” Orange hissed, “I’m trying to be nice because of Remus’s sake, why are you making this so difficult?” Orange added, causing Logan’s confusion to dissipate. 

_ Of course this is all Remus’s doing _ , he thought, actually slightly impressed by Orange’s attempt of being nice. 

“Are you going to be an ass and sit there--”

“No, no, I’ll join you.” Logan told him, grabbing his pitcher of coffee and his mug haphazardly as he approached Orange with slight hesitance.

Orange was still wrapped up like a burrito within his two thick blankets, one of them with ghosts imprinted on them (if Logan remembered correctly, then this was probably Remus’s) and the other with a dove pattern on them. Logan didn’t know how he missed this an hour ago but there seemed to be a popcorn machine on Orange’s left side that was filled to the brim with cheese-flavored popcorn. Logan didn’t understand why he needed an entire machine when Orange could’ve simply summoned popcorn out of thin air, but in the back of his head, he heard Janus’s voice whispering about how the “Dark” Sides liked to do things in style.

Anyway, Logan settled his pitcher on the coffee table and held the mug close to him as he sat on the opposite end of the couch from Orange. He was about three to five meters apart from the other side, enough to not make the atmosphere even more tense than it already is. Either way, Orange pressed play after he eyed Logan suspiciously, and the video continued playing.

Even if Orange was temporarily being courteous for the night due to Remus’s persistence, Logan was still significantly skeptical about Orange’s uncharacteristic kindness. Logan had repeatedly seen Remus scold Orange for his uncivil behavior around Logan in the past, but Remus’s words barely made a dent on Orange’s unfaltering ego. It was quite questionable that Orange would have a change of heart now. Then again, Logan was very much aware of Remus and Orange’s quarrel from a few weeks ago, so this might’ve been part of an agreement for Orange to make up to Remus.

Logan sipped his coffee—he would never get a chance to fully comprehend Orange, would he?

“Blue,” Orange spoke again, catching Logan off-guard, “Are you a Boogara or a Shaniac?” Orange asked, uncharacteristically polite once again. While Logan was still practically confused by Orange’s decency, he decided not to question it further. If he was being nice, then Logan should’ve just allowed it to happen. Wasn’t that what he wanted all along, anyway?

“Ah, well,” Logan began, “While I am a skeptic myself--”

“Predictable.”

Logan rolled his eyes, “As I was saying, while I am a skeptic myself, I disapprove of the brashness present in Shane’s counter arguments. In my humble opinion, I resent his subjectivity and senselessness, because if he were a rational skeptic, then he should at least be open minded whenever he is presented with heavily supported arguments.” Logan explained matter-of-factly, adjusting his glasses while doing so, “While I do not believe in the paranormal or the supernatural in any sense, I immensely appreciate Ryan’s unwavering reliance on factual evidence, so I suppose I am more inclined to be a supporter of Ryan than of Shane. I am assuming you’d be a Boogara as well due to him being a believer?”

“What? Of course not.” Orange replied, causing Logan to feel mildly peeved, “Ryan’s too stiff, too  _ boring _ . He’s such a know-it-all—kinda reminds me of you, Blue.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Logan said sternly, “So, you’re a Shaniac?”

“Hell yea,” Orange said proudly, “Someone who ventures into haunted places fearlessly and even has fun with the demons? My kind of guy.” Orange told him smugly, only for Logan to be even more displeased.

“He doesn’t even believe in ghosts—he’d loathe you.”

“And Ryan would hate you too.”

“I wouldn’t completely dismiss Ryan’s claims, so he wouldn’t hate me. I envision that Shane would be displeased by your irrational beliefs and impulsivity.”

This time, Orange sneered at him. 

“What?” Logan asked, “I’m simply dispensing the truth.”

“‘Ah, of course, Blue. Thanks for bringing up how you hate everything I stand for for the hundredth time, moron.”

This cued the silence to return between them as they continued watching the video uncomfortably. Orange was visibly inching away from Logan even more, burying himself further into his blankets. There was a nagging feeling within that told him there must’ve been something going through Orange’s mind that he was trying to keep hidden. Naturally, Logan and Orange weren’t that close, but Logan admitted that he might’ve been slightly concerned for Orange’s odd attitude.

“I apologize, I didn’t mean to upset you.” Logan eventually said, earning a glare of suspicion from Orange.

“Upset? By you? I would never be,” Orange snarled. Logan acknowledged that while he wasn’t familiar with Orange all too well, he at least knew he was a terrible liar. “I  _ am _ impulsive, I  _ am _ an angry little bitch of a gremlin, I  _ am _ contradictory and nonsensical, you’re absolutely fucking right.”

Logan narrowed his eyes at Orange cautiously—his statement stenched far too much of self-deprecation and defensiveness. Logan was uncertain of why Orange was acting so odd at the moment, but Logan was seeing a hint of insecurity seeping through the aggressive facade. It kind of reminded him of someone else he knew.

“Orange, I wouldn’t qualify us two as close friends--we would probably barely even qualify as acquaintances--but I can’t help but notice that you’re acting slightly off--”

“I’m gonna stop you right there, moron,” Orange interrupted him, “Don’t try playing with me here. We aren’t ‘barely acquaintances’—I would rather much call it ‘strangers who are forced to get along because of Remus’. You’re still a bitch, I’ll still forever think of you as a bitch, and I am not inclined to say anything more about what I’m feeling to you.”

“So you admit you’re feeling something…?”

“...Fuck you.” Orange retorted, “I’m not saying anything. Fuck, you  _ know _ me as someone contradictory and irrational— hell, I’m even  _ more _ nonsensical than Remus. Nothing I do should make any sense, so stop trying to act like there’s something wrong going on. I invited you to sit with me just because Remus told me to be nicer to you, but that’s it. You’re not getting anything else from me, jerk, so how about we both sit in silence as we watch the show, yeah?”

“That is slightly contradictory because you were the one who initiated the conversation, but if you want me to be silent, then I don’t mind at all. Still, if you want to discuss whatever is on your mind, my offer still remains. As Thomas’s beliefs and impulsivity, I don’t think it’ll be healthy for you to suppress any of your feelings.”

“You’re such a goddamn  _ hypocrite _ , holy hell,” Orange retorted angrily, “Also, I know I’m contradictory, Blue, stop rubbing it in my fucking  _ face _ ! You can’t act all high and mighty when you’re going to lose your damn ‘Light’ Side title in a week and replace my entire  _ goddamn  _ existence!”

Silence. Orange had visibly covered himself even more with his blankets, avoiding Logan’s worried gaze. Logan understood that, just like Remus, Orange was incapable of lying or keeping his thoughts to himself, so he did expect an outburst from him. What he didn’t predict was, well,  _ that _ .

“Firstly, I’m never going to replace you, secondly, how did you know I was—er, becoming a ‘Dark’ Side?” Logan asked, eyebrows furrowing.

“Have you even looked at the mirror lately? Of  _ course _ you’re becoming a ‘Dark’ Side.” Orange explained, referencing Logan’s glitches while he still looked away, “... and I overheard Janus and Remus talk about it a while ago.”

“Oh.” Logan murmured, “But that doesn’t explain the part where I’m supposed to replace you. Did Remus and Janus imply you were going to be replaced? Because if they did, I assure you, they aren’t--”

“Stop trying to assume you know what’s going on when in reality, you really fucking  _ don’t _ .” Orange snarled at him. “You’re going to share a fucking space with me, and it  _ sucks _ because I’m already the side who isn’t listened to the most. When you move in, I can guarantee it—you’re just gonna suppress me even further now that you can have better access to me, you’re going to steal the only job I have in this damn Mindscape, and then poof, I’ll disappear into oblivion.”

Logan stared at Orange in disbelief, mouth slightly agape at his explanation. Then, he shut his mouth, knitting his eyebrows even closer together. 

If Logan was going to be brutally honest—that was the most  _ flawed _ argument he has  _ ever heard in his life. _

“Orange, I only mean well when I say that that is the most nonsensical thing you’ve said tonight.”

That, at least, brought Orange out of his hiding place a bit more as the enraged expression on his face softened significantly.

“I admit, while I don’t particularly agree with everything you suggest, I do think that you are a vital side to Thomas just as much as the other sides are.”

Orange, with an unfazed look, chuckled at Logan cunningly. “Oh, really now?”

“Orange, while I am not usually for impulsive decisions, you are the cause of some good decisions Thomas has made in his life. I think of you as the motivation behind Thomas’s unending kindness, or the reason why he is so vigilant. While the ‘Light’ Sides control Thomas’s decision-making, you’re technically their motivator. You make them do what they think is the most beneficial for Thomas, even if they don’t credit you at all. Additionally, my presence here might imply that Thomas might actually begin listening to you more since, well, he loathes my entire being.”

“So you’re saying it’s my fault that you’re being pushed down here?”

“No! I—I apologize if I made it sound like I was blaming you, I didn’t intend to make it come off that way--”

“I’m just playing with you, don’t worry,” Orange said, his tone being much calmer than it was a few moments ago. “But honestly… that’s probably the nicest thing someone has said to me in years. And out of everyone, I didn’t expect  _ you _ to be nice to me. I mean, how do I know you’re not just manipulating me, hm? For all I know, after five minutes, you might just shoot me dead and take my form.”

“Well, it’s completely normal that I won’t fully earn your trust at this very moment, but I assure you, I do not want to steal your form. I don’t want to imagine what it’s like to have ten eyes, nor do I want to take your job as Beliefs. I don’t think we’re even capable of stealing other people’s bodies here.”

Orange grinned at him, “Damn, all this time, I thought you were a massive bitch, but now I know you’re just  _ partly _ a bitch.” Orange stated, making Logan chuckle, “I guess you’re not as bad as I expected you to be.”

Logan let out a chuckle, “Same as you.”

“I explained why I was trying, emphasis on  _ trying _ , to be nice to you, but why the fuck are you trying to be nice to me?” Orange asked, prompting Logan to merely shrug.

“Human decency, I suppose,” Logan told him, “I admit that I am quite the ruminator but I can’t stay unprofessional with you forever. You already know that I’m inevitably going to become a ‘Dark’ Side, so I’m taking this opportunity to fix our immature relationship.” Logan said.

Logan saw Orange smile a bit, “Thank you, I guess. I’ll allow that reasoning for now, Blue.” 

“Logan. Just call me Logan.”

“Hm,” Orange replied, “Then, in that case, call me B.”

Logan looked at him confusedly, “B?”

“B, like, for Beliefs. No way am I telling you my real name yet, moron.”

“Fair enough, B.” Logan said as the corners of his lips irked upwards at B.

At some point, the episode they were watching finished in a rather abrupt manner. To be fair, some episodes of True Crime weren’t the most polished as some of the cases they decided to cover were too mundane. Logan poured himself some more coffee as Orange grabbed the remote.

“Are you down to watch the entire series tonight?” B asked him, actually looking at him this time, and a bigger smile appeared on Logan’s lips.

“Of course,” Logan said, “If you want, I can prepare you some coffee if it’ll help you remain awake.”

B waved a hand at him dismissively, “Coffee ain’t it, sis,” he said, conjuring something up. “Red bull is the real shit,” Orange added, pulling the tab on the can. “First one to fall asleep will have to feed Remus’s pet Cthulhu.”

“Game on.”

//

“Holy shit.”

“What? Did Cthulhu wreck the living room agai— _ Holy shit _ .”

As sunlight began seeping through their windows, it would’ve been expected for Remus and Janus to be awake at this point. Oddly enough, they were the first sides in the Mindscape to wake up despite their awful sleeping schedules.

“Damn, Remus. Didn’t think your boyfriend would cheat on you with our local gremlin.” Janus joked as he proceeded to descend the stairs nonchalantly, eyes still fixated on the unexpected scene in the living room.

Remus, on the other hand, cackled at Janus’s comment, but was still stunned and pleasantly surprised at the scene. On the couch, Logan was sleeping in an upright position, head tilted backwards as a bit of drool was slipping out of his lips. Beside him was an empty pitcher of coffee that dangerously laid on the couch, ready to roll off at any moment. Surprisingly, B was fast asleep as well, head laying on Logan’s lap as piles of Red Bull cans surrounded him haphazardly. The television screen was paused as the message ‘Press a button if you want to continue watching’ was plastered on it, suggesting that the two had fallen asleep some time ago.

“And you were worried they wouldn’t get along,” Janus spoke from the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of wine from one of the cupboards. Remus rolled his eyes at Janus’s obsession with alcohol but didn’t comment on it as he himself had weirder tastes in food compared to him.

Remus eventually descended the stairs as well, gazing at Logan and B one more time with a satisfied grin before joining Janus in the kitchen, “Well, I’m glad I’m wrong for once in my life.”

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> some footnotes:  
> \- orange was a light side turned dark, and logan being in the same situation sort of made him soften up.  
> \- not really a note on the fic but ryan and shane kinda show that even if one is a skeptic and another is a believer, you can still get along pretty well. i'd see that kind of friendship in b and logan  
> \- for orange, i'd like to imagine him to be like gavid reed from dbh or habit from emh- as beliefs/impulsivity, he says shit whenever he wants. thomas's neglect for orange kinda hurts like a bitch so that's the reason why he's very angry most of the time.  
> \- why the ten eyes? i was kinda inspired by angels. i also think it'd be funny to think that when virgil left the dark sides, his spider qualities eventually transferred to each one of the dark sides. janus got the arms, remus got the hairiness, and b got the eyes.  
> \- now, onto the juicy notes: i'm planning to make three more fanfics for this series. the next one will be set on the same night with janus and remus talking about logan becoming a dark side, the one after that will be right after this fic wherein they eat breakfast together, and the last will probably be a multichaptered fic that focuses on logan when he finally becomes a dark side. like, his room transfers and the light sides saw it. lots of chaos will ensue but i'm excited to write it.
> 
> again, follow me [@ameliessanderssidesblog](https://ameliessanderssidesblog.tumblr.com/) for sanders sides stuff. i'd LOVE to receive asks about this deranged universe i made!!


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